1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chip card reader which comprises a housing, formed by a base and a cover, wherein an insulating frame is provided, which supports electric contacts connected, on the one hand, to a xe2x80x9csubstratexe2x80x9d on which electronic data processing components are mounted and, on the other hand, to a universal socket, which is snapped at the end of said housing and connected to a dialog-dedicated port and ensures interfacing with a processing and communication system.
The invention also relates to a mobile telephone having such a chip card reader.
2. Description of Prior Developments
The chip card readers designed to fit into computer systems for processing commercial transactions (ATMS, ticket machines, etc.), in public phones or in mobile phones generally have card slides operating with the so-called landing technology. This technology, described in patent FR 88 03 500 consists in transporting the card above the printed board accommodated inside the housing and positioning it, by letting it land on the electric contacts of a fixed connector on the printed board. A drawback of this type of reader derives from the clutter formed in the housing, which complicates its fabrication. Furthermore, these readers are not self-contained, because they are generally dedicated to specific applications.
The object of the present invention is to provide a chip card reader being of simple conception and self-contained, forming little clutter and being able to be connected to several different data processing systems.
The chip card reader according to the invention is characterized in that it comprises a linearly moving slide unit which is designed to transport the chip card from the outside into the housing to connect the conductive segments of the chip card to the electric contacts of a universal socket, for instance of the USB type.
Thanks to the invention, the size of the chip card reader is reduced and its fabrication is considerably simplified.
According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the slide unit comprises an upper platform, mounted to be movable above the printed board, and having a shape and size adapted to support the chip card, and a lower platform, mounted to be movable beneath said printed board and provided with means for locking/unlocking said slide unit inside the housing.
Thanks to this structure, the printed board helps to guide the slide unit inside the housing. Moreover, the means for locking the slide unit allow to stabilize the slide unit in the housing with the highest accuracy. In accordance with an advantageous embodiment of the invention, the base of the housing has at least two parallel slide rails, which are shifted longitudinally to provide, on the one hand, a support for the printed board and, on the other hand, a guiding means for the lower platform in the housing.
Preferably, said upper platform consists of two coplanar arms being arranged to slide above the printed board when the slide unit moves, and said lower platform consists of three parallel arms, being connected at their proximal ends and at their distal ends, and arranged to slide beneath said printed board, between said slide rails.
Hence, it is easy to accurately control the motion of the slide unit in the housing and, as a result, the position of the card on the printed board.